Significant New RCR Requirements From the NSF

June 28, 2023

In December, the NSF published the updated Proposal & Awards Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) which outlined several new compliance requirements.

Effective July 31, 2023, the PAPPG specifies two significant changes to the current RCR training requirements:

1. Any personnel listed on proposals submitted to the NSF on or after July 31 must comply with an expanded RCR training requirement:

a. “An institution must have a plan in place to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. As noted in Chapter II.D.1.d(iv), an institutional certification to this effect is required for each proposal.” Chapter IX: Recipient Standards – Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) | NSF – National Science Foundation

This means that RCR training is no longer limited to students—PIs and other personnel must also complete the RCR requirement.

2. In addition, the RCR training “must include mentor training and mentorship.”

The office of Research Compliance is working to identify means of tracking the training and how to incorporate mentor training and mentorship into existing RCR training offerings.

Please ensure that personnel on your NSF proposals that are submitted on or after July 31 are aware of this requirement. For more information on Clemson’s RCR training requirements and how we provide RCR training, please visit our RCR Training Requirements FAQ, and watch the RCR page for to learn about upcoming offerings.